While wandering through my neighborhood, I wanted to capture its rich musical heritage. Paying homage to Harlem, where music is an expression of cultural identity and creativity, this image captures a man playing his trombone on the corner of West 116th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard. The photograph shows a slice of life that connects the community’s musical past with its present, highlighting the rhythmic energy that permeates Harlem.

Since the twentieth century, Harlem has been regarded as a beacon of African American history and culture. Sites such as the Apollo Theater, Abyssinian Baptist Church, and Malcolm X Corner, at 125th Street and Seventh Avenue, serve as popular postcard images that represent significant places and moments in this community.

Today, Harlem continues to evolve as a center of history and culture. Every day, changes are witnessed by its residents and experienced by tourists and visitors from all over the world. Harlem Postcards, an ongoing series, invites contemporary artists of diverse backgrounds to reflect on Harlem as a site of cultural activity, political vitality, and creative production.